Experts argue that the internet has provided expanded opportunities for violent extremist groups to propagandize and recruit. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is an exemplar in that it has heavily invested in an online presence and uses online communities and social media to attract and retain supporters. Does ISIS’s online presence translate into a higher probability…
Extremism
Democratic skepticism and support for terrorism in the Palestinian Territories
Research has found that, among other factors, skepticism about democracy and its suitability as a form of government helps to drive public support for violent extremism in the Muslim World. According to scholars, Muslim skeptics of democracy resent it as the product of Western political and cultural intrusion and reflexively support violent extremism as an expression of cultural resistance. Using…
State-led security responses and violent extremism: a comparative analysis of Libya, Egypt and Tunisia
“This article investigates the link between the deterioration of state-society relations and the increase in state-sponsored violence in the MENA region in the aftermath of the Arab Uprisings. It does so to address the question of whether state-led security responses are directly related to the perceived proliferation of violent extremism networks. Relying on the comparative analysis of Libya, Egypt and…
Rallying Around the Flag? az Iszlám Állam közel-keleti támogatottsága (Hungarian)
“Az előadás az Iszlám Állam nevű terrorszervezet közel-keleti társadalmakban kimutatható támogatottságának okait, befolyásoló tényezőit kívánja vizsgálni. Az ISIS mint a közel-keleti eseményeket tematizáló, Irak és Szíria jelentős területeit elfoglaló militáns szervezet a mögötte álló ideológiai és kommunikációs eszköztárral gyorsan tűnt fel, majd viszonylag rövid idő alatt veszítette el pozíciói jelentős részét. Felemelkedése azonban már jóval korábban elindult, hatása, következményei pedig…
Turnout in Transitional Elections: Who votes in Iraq?
“Electoral turnout in Iraq is a puzzling phenomenon. Despite the country’s lack of a democratic past, undeveloped party system, volatile political alliances, inexperienced voters, ethnic politics, sectarian violence, and terrorism, Iraqis’ electoral engagement has reached impressive levels. Given the importance of political participation at the foundational stages of democracy, this article places the individual within a broad context to draw…
Affinity, arming, consequences, and perceptions: an introduction
This article provides an introduction to the special issue on Political violence: affinity, arming, consequences, and perceptions. The issue contains panel analyses, theoretical investigations, and a quantification study. With respect to terrorism, four of the articles study perceptions regarding democratic skepticism, security effectiveness, refugee hosting risks, and financial well-being. Although much of the special issue addresses aspects of terrorism, some…
Talking with the Muslim World
“The struggle against terrorism in the Middle East has led to a quest to find ways to counter the appeal of violent extremists. Thus far, US counter-messaging has failed to articulate a normative position that is responsive to the deeply-held beliefs of the majority of the world’s Muslims. To form a sounder approach, one must acknowledge that there are two…
The Lights of Iraq: Electricity Usage and the Iraqi War-fare Regime
“This article explores the lights of Iraq, Iraq’s variety of capitalism (VoC) and its system of public and fiscal governance. The first section examines Iraq’s VoC, which I define oil-led state-captured capitalism with associated oil-led state-captured war-fare regime. In formerly ISIS-occupied territories, war developments turned the system into an Insurgent ISIS-captured capitalism with associated Insurgent ISIS-captured war-fare regime. The second…
The Islamic State’s Lingering Legacy among Young Men from the Mosul Area
After expulsion of Islamic State forces from Mosul, Iraq’s government declared the country “fully liberated” and the Islamic State “defeated.” But field interviews and non-threatening psychological experiments with young Sunni Arab men from the Mosul area indicate that the Islamic State may have lost its “caliphate,” but not necessarily the allegiance of supporters of both a Sunni Arab homeland and…